Return of the Uchiha
by bashfulglowfly
Summary: Sequel to "Ino's Mission." Itachi's wife, Tsubaki, sends a message to the Hokage. She desires an escort to Konoha for her children and herself. Will the Hokage fulfill that request? Will Itachi follow his family?
1. Chapter 1

**Return of the Uchiha**

By Bashfulglowfly

**Chapter One – The Letter**

Tsunade looked up as the group of people she summoned filed slowly in. Fortunately none of them had been waiting long since she summoned the leader of the group over an hour before and the rest just 20 minutes ago.

Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura and Iruka stood in front of her in varying degrees of attention. She was glad that for once Kakashi had that damned porn of his put away. Naruto looked like he was about to explode; he hadn't been on a mission for a while. Sakura looked like she was reviewing the latest patient that she'd been working on. And Iruka was obviously wondering why he was here instead of at the Academy teaching.

"Sit down." Tsunade leaned back in her chair and looked at the group in front of her. "I received a message early this morning. One that I never thought I would see." She sighed. "It's one that will more than likely cause a great deal of controversy in the village but I also think that it would be the best thing for the village."

"Who is the letter from, Old Lady?"

Tsunade threw the first thing that came to her hand at Naruto who ducked out of the way but he wasn't able to duck Sakura's punch. Tsunade grinned viciously at his yelp of pain then sobered. "It is a letter from Uchiha Tsubaki…the wife of Itachi."

Words spewed from three of the four people in front of her. Only Kakashi remained silent. Tsunade held up a hand quieting the others and looked over at the Copy Ninja when he spoke.

"I'm surprised that she's waited this long. But, if I'm correct, her daughter should be ready to start school."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes. Chouko, that the oldest child's name, is ready to start school. Tsubaki-sama would like her to attend the Academy here in Konoha since any civilian school would not know how to deal with a shinobi child."

Sakura frowned at Kakashi. "How did you know that Itachi was married and had a child?"

Kakashi looked at her, his dark eye contemplative. "Remember that mission that Ino went on alone about four years ago."

"Yes." Sakura nodded. "You disappeared about the same time."

"I was Ino's backup. She was primary and didn't know I was there until the end of the mission. Word came that the Akatsuki were working with a daimyo and that Itachi had a mistress there. It turned out that the so-called mistress was the daimyo's daughter and she was married to Itachi and they had a child together. The daimyo decided to that he could get a better deal with some rogue ninjas and made plans to get rid of Itachi and his partner. Tsubaki-sama found out and, with a little help from Ino, alerted Itachi."

Naruto gaped at Kakashi. "Ino helped an S-Class criminal?"

"No, Ino helped the S-Class criminal's wife." Corrected Kakashi. "Tsubaki-sama's father had promised the leader of the rogue ninjas that he could have Tsubaki-sama. Just as he had given her to Itachi but she was willing to be with Itachi because he was kind and protected her. And as Itachi's wife and mother to his child, she certainly wasn't going to be unfaithful to him and certainly not with a pig like Inoue Kotetsu.

Sakura shuddered and both Naruto and Iruka both made faces. It had been four years but they all remembered that name. For a time he was the most hunted man on the continent. Orders were that if an ANBU team had the choice of capturing or killing a member of the Akatsuki or Inoue, they were to choose Inoue.

"So why didn't you and Ino bring her back here at that time?" asked Iruka.

Kakashi smiled. "Tsubaki-sama was clever. She had let Ino know that there was a plan set up to keep her, Chouko-chan and certain members of the household safe. But she didn't give Ino specifics. She managed to drug Ino and escape. Itachi and Kisame arrived, made short work of Inoue and his crew. The daimyo was killed during the fighting. And we weren't able to track down Tsubaki-sama."

Sakura stared at him in shock. "Not even with Pakkun and the boys?"

Kakashi smiled wryly. "Not when they end up at a major trade road and someone uses a water jutsu that drenches everything for five miles around." He looked at Tsunade. "So why are we here?"

Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "You were requested. Well, not Iruka specifically. Tsubaki-sama wants you, Kakashi, as the leader of the team. Naruto, as my successor, she wants to discuss Itachi's return. Sakura, she wants you as a medic. She also said that she wanted an Academy teacher." She looked at Iruka. "She didn't name you but you've trained with these three so you know how they work. And, I'm guessing, you will be asked to assess Chouko-chan for her eligibility for Academy entrance. You will also assess the other child," she picked up the scroll and reviewed it quickly. "His name is Masanori and he's two."

Iruka nodded thoughtfully. "She's an Uchiha. I'm guessing that Itachi has trained her for years." He looked at Tsunade, his gentle brown eyes unusually hard. "I will NOT recommend that the child become a genin!"

Tsunade smiled at the teacher, not at all angry at his firmness. "No, we've learned our lesson there."

Sakura frowned thoughtfully. "She wants a medic? And the younger child is two?" Sakura nodded to herself. "I suspect that she may be pregnant again. And depending on how far along she is and how long the trip will be, having me there will be a good idea."

It was Naruto's turn to lean back in his chair and he stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Itachi's considered to be an S-Class criminal. Which is, for the most part, is true." Sakura and Iruka stared at him; obviously he knew something that they didn't. When Kakashi didn't react, they knew he knew what it was as well. Naruto nodded. "I have to admit my instinct is to say bring him home. But, I'll talk with his wife before I make my final decision." He straightened and looked at Tsunade, his blue eyes solemn, "But, Tsubaki-sama and her children will be brought here. Does the scroll say what her plans are once she arrives here?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Other than rebuilding the Uchiha district and Chouko-chan attending the Academy, no."

Naruto squinted thoughtfully. "I doubt that Itachi has any idea of the current condition of the Uchiha compound." The five ninja all snorted. The Uchiha compound had become a place where children, both shinobi and civilian, dared each other to go and scare themselves silly. After two children had been seriously injured when a house collapsed on them, Tsunade declared the place absolutely off limits and had all of the buildings razed to the ground. All that was there was weed covered earth and trees.

"So, where do you think they should live?" Tsunade was curious to see what he would come up with.

"Well, not with any of us." He grinned at her then at Kakashi and Sakura. "We don't have enough living space on our 'estates' yet. I'm going to ask around. I'm sure one of the clans will be happy to provide them housing. And it will also provide extra eyes on them."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. The boy had come up a good idea. "Any idea which clan?"

Naruto grinned at her. "No offense to my lovely wife, but my first choice will not be the Hyuuga. I think I'll go to the Yamanaka first."

"Good idea." Said Tsunade. "Kakashi, do you have an idea of who you want to take with you?"

Kakashi stared at her for a moment. "Well, it depends on the budget I'm allowed."

Tsunade grinned. "Let's put it this way, what she's offering it would support every shinobi in the village for months! You can take whomever you want."

"I'm going to take up on that!" He turned to Sakura, "Speaking of the Yamanaka, will Ino be able to go with us?"

Sakura shook her head. "No. The morning sickness is still kicking her butt. And Chouji is worried to death about her so that scratches him off the list."

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully and tugged at his mask. "I'll take Team Gai." Despite the death of Maito Gai, that team kept the name in his honor. "And I want at least half of the ANBU teams available probably 2/3rds of them."

Tsunade stared at him in shock. "Why that many?"

"Neji can be charming when he wants to. And he knows how to relate to a noble lady and knows how to give household staff orders. I'll probably put him in charge of her household. And I want to take as many ANBU as I can because if another nation discovers that there are Uchiha children and a possibly pregnant Uchiha wife, they'll instantly become targets."

Naruto nodded. "We'd protect them but having lots of our people will be a deterrent."

Sakura turned to Naruto. "Will Hinata mind watching Obito while we're gone?" Obito was Sakura and Kakashi's toddler. Hinata was six months pregnant with Naruto's child.

"I'll ask her." Naruto stood up and stretched. "Is there anything else you want from us?" he asked Tsunade.

"No." Tsunade turned to Kakashi and tossed him the scroll. "They are in Iron Country."

Kakashi scowled. The trip to and from was going to be a long one. "I want to get going as soon as possible then. We'll be able to travel fast but the Uchiha household won't be able to. And I'm going to make sure that they travel as light as possible." He glanced through the scroll then cursed lightly. "Tsubaki-sama, the two children and 47 retainers?"

"That many?" Sakura said in dismay.

"Yeah. Twenty-three of those are under the age of 18 though. I've got an idea how to handle it though. But I need to get to planning."

Naruto jumped to the window. "I need to talk to Hinata then I'm going to talk to Inoichi."

Tsunade flapped her hand at all of them. "Good. Go and prepare!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two – Meeting**

Kakashi looked at the modest house at the edge of the town. It had taken a while to get here even at running from dawn to dusk. Then they had wait for everyone to gather together again. Kakashi had everyone travel in small separate groups. He didn't want to come to the attention of other Hidden Villages with what was essentially a small army of shinobi.

Sakura was by his side. Naruto was about fifteen feet away with Iruka. The radio in his ear indicated that the other teams were in place.

In the yard, two children were practicing with wooden weapons that were sized and balanced perfectly for little hands and fingers. The girl was running back and forth throwing both shuriken and kunai hitting the target each time. The boy stood still and threw his weapons at his target but he occasionally missed the target altogether.

A woman came out to the edge of the porch. She had brown hair but he couldn't see her eye color from this distance but she matched his memory of Tsubaki-sama. "Chouko-chan! Masanori-chan! Put your weapons away and get cleaned up for lunch!" She turned and walked away.

"She's pregnant." Came Sakura's soft whisper.

Kakashi nodded. He had seen the gentle swell of her stomach as well. His attention went back to the two children. Masanori was obediently picking up his weapons and putting neatly in a box. But the girl had a stubborn look on her face that Kakashi remembered from her uncle.

"I'm not finished." She declared.

The boy looked at her and then walked over to his target and began taking it down.

"It doesn't take that long to get cleaned up!" said Chouko. She scowled at her brother when he gave her an expressionless look that the girl was able to interpret. "Well it doesn't! I'm going to practice some more!"

The boy looked at her again. Kakashi could see a tiny brow raise. He remembered that look as well. Chouko knew that look too.

"Don't you even start! I can do what I want! Just watch me!" With that she turned and ran toward a tree. Kakashi could see the chakra gathering at the bottom of her feet and knew what she was going to do.

Chouko ran up the side of a tall oak.

"Chouko!" Tsubaki-sama had come back out to see what was taking so long.

Because of her mother's voice, Chouko became distracted and started to fall. But before her mother could scream, Kakashi saw a yellow flash dart towards the child. A pink flash darted past him towards the mother.

Naruto caught Chouko and Sakura caught Tsubaki.

Kakashi sighed and leapt down from the tree he was hiding in. He gave everyone else the order to stay put.

Chouko stared up at the man who rescued her then flung her arms around his neck. "Uncle Naruto! You came!" She delivered a smacking kiss to his cheek.

Kakashi stopped in his tracks in shock. He didn't expect that reaction. He felt a tug on his pants, looked down and saw Masanori at his side, arms extended. He reached down and picked the boy up and rested him on his hip. He smiled at the feel of the childish kiss on his mask. "Hi, Uncle 'Kashi." The boy looked at his sister. "Bad Chouko!"

Naruto had placed the girl on the ground and was looking down at her with a stern look on his face. The happy grin Chouko had disappeared. "Hello, Chouko-chan." His tone was cool.

Chouko stared up at him and her lower lip began to tremble and tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm in trouble aren't I?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes, you are. You disobeyed your mother and look what happened to her when she saw you fall."

Chouko turned in time to see Sakura help a very pale Tsubaki into a chair. "Mama." She started to go to her mother but Naruto stopped her with a hand on her head.

"What did your mother tell you to do?"

"Put my weapons away and get cleaned up for lunch."

"And what did you do instead?"

"I tried to climb the tree using chakra but I fell and scared mama."

"Yes, you did. I'm very disappointed in you, Chouko-chan."

Tears rolled down the girl's face and she sniffled. "I.I'm sorry!"

"Go tell your mother that you're sorry, then pick up your weapons and Masanori's and put them all away. Then you will get cleaned up for lunch. Move!"

Chouko ran over to her mother apologizing the entire way. Tsubaki stroked her hair. Kakashi could her voice speaking soothingly to the child over Sakura's mic. Then Chouko ran and picked up the weapons as she was told.

Kakashi walked over to the porch. "Iruka come on down. Everyone else stay in place." Iruka appeared at his side. Masanori wriggled and Kakashi understood that the boy wanted down. The boy ran into the house and disappeared. Chouko placed the boxes of weapons and the targets on a table and followed.

Kakashi turned his attention to Tsubaki. She was no longer pale but Sakura had one green glowing hand placed on her stomach. Tsubaki looked at him. "Hatake-sama." Came her quiet greeting.

"We're going to end up –sama-ing everyone to death. Please, call me Kakashi. They are Naruto and Sakura." He gestured to Iruka, "And this is Umino Iruka one of the Academy teachers."

Iruka bowed. "You have your hands full!"

Tsubaki smiled. "Soon even fuller. But children are a joy and a blessing."

The glow disappeared from Sakura's hand and she straightened. "Everything seems fine but I want to give you a more thorough examination later."

Tsubaki nodded and rose to her feet. Naruto's hand hovered at her elbow but she stood just fine. "Have you eaten?" at the negative shake of their heads, she added. "Then please join me and the children for lunch."

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The talk at the table was quiet and commonplace. Tsubaki answered questions about the current conditions in the village that she lived in. It was quiet and people kept to themselves. Strangers were watched warily. And she was considered one. A very questionable one since she had two children and another on the way but no visible husband.

"It must make things hard." Said Sakura.

Tsubaki shrugged "I manage. You have to know that there wasn't anyone for me to gossip with when I lived with my father. So I don't really know what I'm missing."

Naruto laid down his chopsticks and leaned forward. "I have to ask. Do you know where Itachi is?"

She shook her head. "No, he's been gone for over a month, so I have no idea."

Naruto nodded. He bit his lip and flicked a glance at Kakashi and Sakura. "Do you have any idea where his brother, Sasuke, is?"

"Uncle Sasuke is packed away." Piped up Chouko.

The Konoha adults stared at the child who stuffed the last of her meal in her mouth.

Tsubaki sighed. "I'll explain in a bit." She rose from the table and looked at Sakura. "You said that you wanted to examine all of us?"

Sakura rose as well. "How about I start with the children while you talk to Kakashi and Naruto." She turned Masanori and Chouko. "Come with me. After your check-up you can practice with Iruka-sensei!"

The children cheered. "Can we use our real weapons, Iruka-sensei?" asked Chouko.

Tsubaki spoke quickly. "Remember they are in a chakra box that only your father can open. And the box has already been packed away."

Chouko sighed gustily with disappointment but followed Sakura and Iruka.

Tsubaki motioned to Kakashi and Naruto. "Follow me, please." The two men followed her into a room that was empty but obviously a study. Near one wall was a desk that had five scrolls sitting on the top. She gestured for Naruto to take the chair behind the desk. Tsubaki and Kakashi sat in the two before the desk.

She smiled softly. "Sasuke is dead. His urn is already packed away in preparation for leaving."

Naruto covered his eyes. Kakashi just sighed.

Tsubaki continued. "I don't know the details. Itachi has refused to tell me." She gestured to the scrolls. "Itachi told me that when I contacted you and you arrived, I was to give you those five scrolls. I assume that in one of those is the details about Sasuke's death."

Naruto nodded. "How is it that the children, and you, are so accepting and trusting of us? None of you have met us."

"Itachi has told me so much about you. And he told me that he used the…Tsukuyomi on the children so that they would know and trust you when the time came." She rose and bowed.

"Tsubaki." She turned and looked Kakashi. "Does Itachi know that you contacted us?"

She smiled. "Yes, I let him know what I did."

"So he will look for you in Konoha?"

"More than likely."

Naruto spoke. "Later you and I will need to talk about Itachi's return to Konoha."

Tsubaki bowed again. "I'll leave you to your reading." And she left the room, closing the door behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three – Heading Out**

Naruto sighed and handed the scroll over to Kakashi.

Kakashi was a much faster reader than he was and he knew when his former teacher reached the hardest part of the report. Kakashi finished and rolled the scroll back up. "Sasuke. You poor damned fool."

"That was a hell of a way to die. No wonder Itachi didn't tell Tsubaki." Naruto paused. "Will you tell Sakura?"

"I'm not going to hide it from her." Kakashi knew his pink-haired wife would grieve over her lost teammate once again. "She'll grieve for the boy she knew and for the man that he should have become. But she'll never miss the man that he turned into."

"Yeah." Naruto picked up another scroll and began to read.

After the two men got through reading each scroll, they discussed what they had read and how it would affect Itachi's return to Konoha. "It will certain shock a hell of a lot of people. Both shinobi and civilian." Said Naruto.

"Let it." Said Kakashi bluntly. "While every village has secrets that should be protected but some just poison everything. They cause rot and decay. These secrets have been poisoning Konoha for far too long. Let everything come out."

"I agree." Naruto pulled out a blank scroll from his pouch, picked a pen from the desk and began writing. "I'm going to send these to the Hokage along with my recommendation that everything be revealed. If it's done before the Uchiha's come back to the village, it will make their return that much easier."

"Are you still going to have them stay with the Yamanaka's?"

"Yeah. I think it's still a good idea. From what she said earlier, Tsubaki has never dealt with clans or a village. The Yamanaka's will help her get used to the…politics and duties of village life that will be expected of her as the Matriarch of the Uchiha."

Kakashi nodded. And turned to the knock on the door. He could tell it was Sakura from the chakra signature. "Come in." Sakura entered and shut the door behind her. "Did you get the physicals done?"

Sakura sat down. "Yes. The children are very healthy. I haven't the experience of examining a young Uchiha, obviously, but I think that Chouko will develop her Sharingan within a couple of years. Especially with the training that she'll get at the Academy. Masanori has it as well, I think."

"And Tsubaki?" Naruto asked. "How is she?"

"Carrying twins." Sakura said bluntly. "She's four months along. They are a bit on the small side but that's normal for twins. But I want her in Konoha as soon as possible. Twins are notorious for coming early and I don't want to be traveling when they arrive."

Kakashi nodded, turned on his radio and summoned Neji and his team. He had asked Neji earlier to see how prepared the household was for the trip and now wanted to hear the results.

Sakura looked at the two men. "What happened to Sasuke?" Naruto handed over the pertinent scroll and she read it. A few tears rolled down her cheeks. Then she handed it back. "That's a horrible way to die." She sighed. "Poor Sasuke. He could have been so much more."

Kakashi reached out and wiped the tears away, kissing her gently. "Yeah, he could have been. But I failed him."

Sakura glared at him. "He failed himself! Your supposed failure to him was miniscule compared to that!"

"Yes, dear."

Deciding that her husband wasn't going to punish himself over things he couldn't change, Sakura moved closer to the desk and began re-writing her own notes. She told Naruto that she'd send her report separately from his when she was finished. Naruto sealed the five scrolls that Tsubaki had given them into his and summoned one of his toads and sent it to Tsunade.

Another knock on the door and Team Gai entered.

"What did you find out from the retainers?" asked Kakashi.

Neji smiled faintly. "They are prepared to go. When Tsubaki-sama sent the letter to Konoha, they estimated the fastest time we would get here and began preparing. There are only a few wagons with household goods. Mostly decorative items. Some furniture and kitchen items that were deemed too important to leave behind or are favorites. Other than that, clothing and personal items. Everything else they decided they can replace in Konoha."

Kakashi nodded. "Good. Then I want the first group to leave within the hour." Team Gai nodded and disappeared. Kakashi had decided that the Uchiha household were going to leave the same way the Konoha shinobi had arrived. In small groups that hopefully will go undetected. The largest group would be Tsubaki and the children and a few retainers.

It was going to be risky but he wasn't going to avoid any towns. Tsubaki wasn't going to be in any shape to sleep on the ground and he doubted Sakura would permit it. But he was also going to have to avoid any foreign shinobi finding out that he was traveling with Uchihas. The world may be a peace, more or less, but a bloodline like the Uchiha one was still valuable and two children and their pregnant mother would be very easy to capture.

Iruka knocked and poked his head in the door. "I finished evaluating the children's capabilities."

Naruto looked up at his former teacher. "And?"

Iruka perched on the side of the desk. "Chouko-chan would easily make genin within the year. Masanori has some growing to do but his coordination is pretty darn good."

Sakura looked up at him. "There is no way Tsubaki will permit Chouko-chan to become a genin."

Naruto snorted. "Neither will Itachi." One of the scrolls was a letter written by Itachi stating very clearly that he didn't want his children to be treated the same way he had been.

"I'm with Itachi." Said Kakashi. "Both he and I know what it does to a child when they become a shinobi too quickly. It's isolating not to mention psychologically damaging."

Iruka looked at the three. "Chouko is very good but I'm sticking with what I told the Hokage. I'm not recommending her for genin status. She should become a genin when she turns twelve just like the other students. Not necessarily for the training aspect but for the social one. She and Masanori need to have that contact with their peers. Yes, both of them will probably be ahead of their peers skill-wise but that can be worked around."

Kakashi nodded. "Private tutoring should keep them from getting bored but they need the social and teamwork skills." He handed a pen to Iruka. "Write down your evaluation and Sakura can send it along with her notes."

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The journey had been long. Nearly two months. But the gates of Konoha were in sight.

Kakashi had received word that the last of the teams with the Uchiha retainers had already arrived at least two weeks before. And that work was already starting on the Uchiha compound.

The children, for once, were in the carriage with their mother. But he could hear their excited voices, well, Chouko's excited voice. He smiled. Masanori was a boy of few words but his wants and needs were ably translated by Chouko. Kakashi had worried that Chouko was taking advantage of Masanori's silence but that was quickly put to rest one time Chouko lied to him about something that Masanori wanted and he spoke up denying it.

When he had asked Tsubaki about it, she laughed and said that Masanori was a child usually content to go with the flow but he would put his foot down if Chouko didn't do something he didn't like. And Masanori saying "Bad Chouko" within her hearing was enough to bring the girl to tears. And it wasn't that Chouko lied often, she just wanted what she wanted. And she wanted to practice with real weapons, she wanted to run through the trees by herself because she was a big kunoichi, or she wanted more sweets. The first two were handled by firm negatives by "Uncle Kakashi" and "Uncle Naruto." The last was handled by her mother and "Auntie Sakura."

Kakashi thought it was going to be interesting to see how Chouko handled the dynamics of the classroom. She had never played with other children. Being a shinobi child she could have easily hurt a civilian child. And her younger brother has been her only playmate. So it would be interesting to see her social skills when she finally meets those who were of her age group and close in capabilities.

It would be fascinating to watch Masanori as well. Would he start speaking more after Chouko is gone for most of the day? Kakashi wasn't sure if there were children his age in the Yamanaka compound but there was the pre-school that he could attend and he knew that Sakura had recommended it to Tsubaki.

Finally they reached the gate and Kotetsu and Izumo were waiting. The carriage pulled to a stop and the pair greeted Kakashi who was sitting next to the driver. "How are things?" asked Kakashi.

Kotetsu laughed. "The same as always." He walked around to the side of the carriage. Tsubaki was looking out the window. "Welcome to Konoha, Uchiha-sama. The Hokage welcomes you and when you are able, she wishes to see you as soon as possible."

Tsubaki nodded. "Would it inconvenience the Hokage if I meet her now?"

Izumo had joined his partner. "No, Uchiha-sama. The Hokage will be more than happy to see you now."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four – Arrival**

Tsubaki cursed herself for not having Kakashi stop at the little village before they reached Konoha so that she and the children could wash the travel dust off themselves. But when Kakashi said that they were less than two hours from Konoha, she didn't want to stop. She just wanted this unending trip to end. She wanted to sit down on something that wasn't swaying or bumping beneath her bottom. She wanted to breathe in the scent of flowers not dust.

If the Hokage couldn't understand that she had just completed a long trip and wasn't looking her best, then the Hokage could just shove it somewhere unpleasant!

Kakashi knocked on the large door and a woman's voice bade them to enter. She held onto Chouko and Masanori's hands. She had warned them to be on their best behavior and she knew that they were feeling her nerves.

Despite the assurances of Kakashi and Naruto, she and her children were inside Konoha. She knew from the way her father had dealt with things, once you were within another's control the rules could and often did change.

They walked inside the room and a blonde woman stood up from her desk, walked around it with her hands extended, a smile on her face. Tsubaki released the children's hands and extended hers in return. "Tsubaki-sama, may I call you that? From the reports that were sent to me, I feel like I know you just a bit." The woman clasped Tsubaki's hands. "I am Senju Tsunade, the Hokage of Konoha."

Tsubaki smiled back. She was fairly certain that the other woman could see her stress and was doing what she could to ease it. "I'm pleased to meet you as well. From everything Sakura and the others have told me, I feel that I know you a bit."

"Please, call me Tsunade." She looked down at the children. "You must be Chouko-chan and Masanori-chan. I'm please to meet you as well."

The children bowed and shyly greeted her.

"Everyone, please sit." Tsunade went back behind her desk and sat herself. She looked at Tsubaki. "I won't keep you long because I'm sure you are very sick and tired of traveling." She grinned at Tsubaki's sigh. "I'm sure that you've been told that you will be residing with the Yamanaka clan until the Uchiha compound is ready. They already have the care of your household and there have been no problems. Your steward will give you his report but I will tell you that progress is being made on your compound. Fortunately it was pretty much a clean slate but the ground has been reworked. The foundation for the main house has been laid down along with the foundations for some other buildings. Some walls have just barely gone up. I'm told it will be several months for the main house to be ready." Tsunade smiled. "You have employed most of the construction workers in the village."

Tsubaki's eyes widened. "I hope that hasn't made things difficult for others."

Tsunade waved a hand in dismissal. "No. No. And I'm sure if there was an emergency, there will be no problem if work on your place slowed down a bit."

"Of course not."

Tsunade looked at the younger woman. With her dark brown hair and deep green eyes, she looked calm and composed but Tsunade had been around for a while and knew when someone was nervous as well as tired. The young woman before her was both. "One last thing before you go. When will Itachi arrive?"

Tsubaki blinked. "I don't know, Tsunade-sama. When he's finished with his business, I presume." She was relieved when the older woman just nodded and dismissed her.

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The leaders of the Yamanaka clan waited. Inoichi turned to his wife, Noriko, "Well, things are going to get interesting."

Noriko laughed softly. "Yes. They will. I know that Tsubaki-sama is not a kunoichi but I believe I shall recruit her to the Allied Mothers Force."

Inoichi grinned. "There can never been too many mothers in the AMF!" Privately he thought that anyone stupid enough to take on the AMF got exactly what they deserved.

They watched as the carriage pulled up and Kakashi helped the very pregnant young woman out. Two children tumbled after her. Noriko looked up at her husband and he knew the plan they discussed just went out the window.

Noriko hurried to Tsubaki's side. "Uchiha-sama? I am Yamanaka Noriko. Welcome to our home. You must be so tired from the trip!" She tucked her arm through the younger woman's. "Come with me and I'll show you where you're staying and you can get off your feet and rest." She waved her free hand at Inoichi. "That's my husband, Inoichi. Inoichi, get the children and come along!" Noriko gently propelled the slightly shocked Tsubaki away.

Kakashi chuckled as he moved to Inoichi's side. "'That's just my husband…he's not important or anything…'"

Inoichi laughed with him. "Well, we husbands do have our uses…on occasion!" He looked at the Copy Ninja. "Any idea when Itachi will arrive?"

"No. She has no idea but she did let him know they were coming. He'll get here when he gets here." Kakashi looked around for the children who were standing hand in hand nearby. "Chouko-chan, Masanori-chan, this is Yamanaka Inoichi. He is the head of the Yamanaka clan."

The two children bowed and murmured hello. Inoichi bowed back then held out his hand. "Come with Kakashi and me. I'll show you where you'll be living. We already have rooms prepared for you!"

Chouko, still holding onto Masanori's hand, took his and Kakashi held Masanori's hand and the four-some walked to the house where the Uchiha would be staying. It was a pretty house, surrounded by flowers. There was a tree with a swing, a porch with lots of chairs and cushions. The house itself was painted white with green trim. It had lots of windows to let in the sun.

The men led the children into the house and Inoichi showed them their mother's bedroom and then their bedrooms. Immediately there was exploration and jumping on beds. Chouko found her boxes of toys and weapons had arrived before she did and she began removing them. Masanori found his box but couldn't open it without Kakashi's help.

As Kakashi was opening the box, from behind Inoichi, Masanori saw something move. He stood up and stared at it. Inoichi followed his line of sight and smiled. "Ah, Tanpopo! Come on out, child and meet Masanori!"

A little girl Masanori's age appeared in the doorway. She had huge blue eyes and white blonde hair that was in a fluffy halo around her head. She smiled showing tiny white teeth. "Hi, I'm Tanpopo!"

Masanori stared at her for a moment with his head tilted, obviously contemplating something. Then he walked over to the girl until they were almost nose to nose. Then he took a deep breath and blew on her hair.

Disappointment showed in the boy's face when the hair didn't fly away. Inoichi and Kakashi struggled not to laugh. But Tanpopo did laugh. "Silly! I'm not a real dandelion! That's just my name! And you're Masanori-chan! Hi, nice to meet you!" She thrust out a hand and Masanori took it. At that, the little girl began chattering away at the boy as she pulled him over to the box that Kakashi had gotten open. The pair began pulling things out and putting them on various surfaces.

Kakashi walked out of the room and stood in the doorway with Inoichi. "Where'd she come from?"

Inoichi sighed. "Her father was from one of the branch families. Her mother was a civilian. He was involved with the woman and got her pregnant but he was killed during a mission before he even knew about the pregnancy. The woman gave birth to Tanpopo and when she recovered just walked out of the hospital, leaving the child behind. All she told the nurses was to give it to the Yamanaka, she didn't want it.

"When we got the message, I thought Noriko and the other women were going to track down the woman and beat her senseless but Noriko just went to the hospital and brought her here. She's a Yamanaka and will be raised as such."

"She's cute."

"Yes, she's a little charmer. And it looks like she's going to make Masanori her friend whether he likes it or not!"

Author's Note #1– Ino's mother, from what I can tell, is not given a name so I gave her the name of her Japanese VA.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five – Return**

Konohamaru slumped against the counter. His team had gate duty today. "I'm bored. Do you know how boring this is? When are we going to be able to have some excitement?!"

Udon blew his nose and ignored him.

Moegi ignored him and continued painting her nails.

Konohamaru's head thudded against the countertop. "Sooo booored!" he moaned.

A shadow fell across him and he looked up. Blinked and looked again. Konohamaru felt his eyes bulge and his vocal cords freeze.

"Hello. Where do I sign in?"

Moegi looked up wondering why Konohamaru wasn't answering and her eyes grew wide but she managed to push the ledger closer to the shinobi in answer to the his question.

"I'm afraid that my identification is woefully out of date. Will I need a badge?"

Konohamaru just continued stare. Moegi looked over her shoulder and Udon was also frozen with a tissue held to his nose. Obviously she was going to have to attempt to be the big chuunin. Moegi stood, and took a deep breath and walked to the counter. Silently she pulled a badge from under the counter and with a shaking hand held it out to the man. He took it and carefully put it in a pocket in his vest.

"Thank you. My wife and children arrived some time ago. Do you know where they are at?"

Moegi blinked and she opened up her mouth to answer but then her mind went blank. She knew she knew the answer but it was just gone. So she just stared at the man in front of her.

The shinobi wanted to laugh at the bug-eyed and silent response of the young chuunins before him but he knew that would absolutely destroy the trio especially the boy who proclaimed he was bored. "Ah well," said Uchiha Itachi. "I'm sure the Hokage will be able to let me know. Thank you." He nodded his head and walked away.

He had gotten perhaps fifty yards away before he heard the semi-hysterical babbling break out behind him.

He leapt to the nearest rooftop and begin slowly running from roof to roof. He didn't want to sprint to the Hokage tower; he wanted to be able to see what had changed in Konoha since the last time he was there.

Suddenly a man appeared in front of him. Itachi came to a stop and greeted the other man. "Kakashi."

The Copy Ninja had his hands in his pockets but nodded politely back. "Welcome home."

"Thank you."

"Where are you headed?"

"To see the Hokage and then to see my wife and children."

"Why don't you do the second item first. If you go to the Academy, you should see all of them. And I think that Chouko-chan will be thrilled to see her father when she gets out of school."

Itachi inclined his head to Kakashi. "Thank you."

Kakashi smiled beneath the mask. "I'll let the Hokage know that you're here." Then he disappeared.

Itachi began running again this time with haste. Soon he could see the Academy. And what was so very precious to him. He landed on the ground and began to approach his wife and son. Masanori turned around and his dark eyes widened then began to sparkle and he grinned nearly ear to ear. "DADDY!"

Itachi knelt down on one knee and held out his arms. Masanori thudded against his chest, wrapping small arms around him and holding him tight. Itachi closed his own arms around his son and breathed in that wonderful little boy smell.

"Missed you, daddy."

"I've missed you too." Itachi looked up from his son and into the eyes of his wife. Her forest green eyes were filled with tears, her hands were at her mouth. He saw that she was heavily pregnant; she was so very beautiful. Itachi released Masanori and walked over to Tsubaki, pulling her into his arms, burying his face in her hair. She pressed her face against his chest and he could feel her tears soaking his shirt. "Don't cry, beloved." He heard a sob and began to murmur soothing words and began gently rubbing her back with one hand. With the other, he tilted her chin up and gave her a deep kiss.

At what seemed like a distance, he could hear the shocked whispers from the others who were waiting for their children. But he ignored them. He was taking care of what was important.

Tsubaki pulled back a little and wiped the tears from her face. Smiling up at him, she said "Welcome home, Itachi."

He smiled back. "I'm glad to be home." He felt a tug on his pants. He looked down and saw Masanori holding the hand of a little fluffy headed blonde girl. "Daddy, Tanpopo."

Tsubaki laughed. "Itachi, this is Yamanaka Tanpopo. We're staying with the Yamanaka clan and she and Masanori became friends on the day we arrived. We haven't been able to separate them since."

Itachi knelt down and held out his hand to the child. "Hello, Tanpopo-chan. Thank you for being my son's friend."

Tanpopo's blue eyes sparkled as she threw her arms around Itachi's neck and she enthusiastically kissed his cheek. "Welcome home, Itachi-chichi-ue-sama!"

Tsubaki and Itachi laughed softly at his new title. Then a member of ANBU appeared before them. "A message from the Hokage." Said the masked man. He handed Itachi a piece of paper then disappeared. Itachi unfolded and read it. Folding it back up and putting it in his pouch, he told Tsubaki. "The Hokage says that I'm to spend the rest of the day with my family and I'm to report to her within 20 minutes after the start of school tomorrow."

Tsubaki nodded. "That will give you the opportunity to walk Chouko-chan to school. I will not be allowed to do that anymore."

"I noticed that you seem larger than your previous pregnancies."

"I'm carrying twins."

Itachi felt his knees wobble for a moment then he got them under control. "Twins?"

"Yes. But this is the last time I can walk this far. Sakura wants me on limited bed rest as of tomorrow. I won't be confined to bed but I will not be able to walk this far. Just places around the house or in the garden."

Itachi nodded and made a note to himself to consult with Sakura about his wife's condition as soon as he possibly could.

They turned together as the school bell rang and children began running from the building. Itachi spotted Chouko-chan first. "She's grown." He said softly.

Chouko looked up and saw him. She stopped for a brief moment then she sprinted past the other children and leapt into his arms. "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Once again tears began soaking his shirt. She looked up at him. "You aren't going to have to leave again, are you?"

"No. I'm not going to be going anywhere for some time."

"Good!"

Itachi reached for Masanori and Tanpopo. He placed them on either shoulder. Chouko pouted for a bit but stopped at a look from her father and a promise that when he took her to school the next day, she could ride on his shoulder. Chouko held onto one hand while Tsubaki held his other.

People stared as the group walked to the Yamanaka compound but they were ignored by the little group. Itachi could see from the corner of his eye that members of ANBU were following them from the rooftops. He smiled but didn't say anything to his wife or the children.

They arrived at the Yamanaka compound and went to the house where the Uchiha were staying. He made Tsubaki sit down and rest and had the children show him the house. He greeted the various retainers who were within as they toured. He made sure to admire everything that was shown him. When he got to the children's bedrooms, he noted that there were two beds in Masanori's room and that there were little girl items in it as well. Tsubaki's comment about not being able to separate the two made a little more sense but he wondered how Tanpopo's parents felt about the situation.

Then he heard a knock on the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six – Discovery**

Itachi heard the knock on the door. Knowing that it was understood that he and his family were to be left alone for the rest of the day, he was surprised to hear it. Leaving the bedrooms, he walked to the front of the house with the children close behind.

When he reached the living room, sitting across from Tsubaki was a man whom he identified as Yamanaka Inoichi.

Inoichi smiled and rose to his feet when Itachi came into the room. "Welcome home, Itachi-san."

"Thank you, Inoichi-san."

Inoichi turned to Tsubaki. "I know that you want to spend time with your husband after such a long absence. And I'm also sure that there is much to tell him. But I would like to borrow him for an hour so that he can see the progress on the Uchiha compound."

Immediately the three children began clamoring to go along.

"No." Inoichi turned a stern eye to the three. "A construction site is no place for children. Your father and I are going to be busy talking with the construction supervisor and will not be able to watch you properly."

Itachi watched as Masanori simply nodded, took Tanpopo's hand and walked back to bedrooms. Chouko turned huge eyes to her father but before she could speak, Itachi gave her his answer. "You already heard Inoichi-sama. No." Chouko got that stubborn look that Sasuke used to get and his heart lurched. But she gave in and went back to her own room.

Tsubaki smiled when Itachi turned to look at her, an eyebrow raised. "I don't mind. I was forbidden to go pretty much right away. Saihara-san, the supervisor, was worried that I'd fall or give birth there."

The two men chuckled. Itachi nodded to Inoichi. "I would be happy to go with you. Thank you for having the idea." The two men walked out of the house, through the compound and onto the streets of Konoha walking towards the Uchiha compound.

"Inoichi-san, what can you tell me of Tanpopo-chan? Why did her parents name her that?"

Inoichi laughed softly. "Her real name is Ami but when her hair grew into that fluff, the children started calling her 'Tanpopo' and it stuck." Then Inoichi sighed. "Her father was a Yamanaka. One of the branch families. Her mother was a civilian. They got involved and he went on a mission that ended badly and his body was returned to us. We didn't know that the woman was pregnant until we received word from the hospital that Tanpopo-chan had been born and her mother left her there with instructions to give her to us."

Itachi scowled at the idea of child especially a newborn being abandoned like that. Despite what he had done to his family, the thought of abandoning a family member like that was appalling.

Inoichi nodded at his reaction. "Trust me, I agree. In fact, I was hard pressed to keep the clan women from finding the girl and beating her. But we brought Tanpopo-chan to the compound and she has been raised there. I hate to say this but she has been raised by everyone, not one particular family. So she's been a bit rootless. But when your family arrived, she introduced herself to Masanori-chan and they have been inseparable since. Tsubaki-san hasn't minded. She has said that Tanpopo-chan is such a cheerful child and has brightened the house. Chouko-chan ignores her for the most part. She did throw a wooden kunai at Tanpopo at our private training ground." Itachi's face darkened and Inoichi continued. "Don't worry. Masanori blocked it then I'm afraid there was a short but vicious brawl between the two. It was broken up by some of the older children. Bruises and bites were sustained and punishment by Tsubaki-san was swift and merciless. Chouko-chan and Masanori-chan were spanked and sent to bed without their supper. They were forbidden the training ground for a week and Chouko-chan's teacher was informed of her behavior. Since then Chouko-chan hasn't done anything to her."

"I'm sorry that my daughter has caused such trouble."

"No. No. No trouble at all. She wouldn't tell Tsubaki-san why she threw the kunai at Tanpopo but her teacher spoke with her and got her to admit that she was jealous that there was someone else in her brother's life. She felt like he didn't need her anymore. But the teacher explained that she would always be Masanori's older sister and that he would always need to have an older sister. And that she could be an older sister to Tanpopo-chan as well. Which hasn't quite happened but now that you are home things might change."

"I see that Tanpopo-chan seems to sleep in Masanori-chan's room."

"Yes. Tsubaki-san said at their age there's no point in separating them. And it has given Masanori someone else to be around. But he still doesn't talk all that much."

Itachi smiled but the smile faded when he realized that they had reached the Uchiha compound. His heart lurched when he saw how barren and stark the place looked. Somehow he had expected the compound of his memories. Filled with buildings and clan members either in a hurry or leisurely going about their daily lives. But now there was nothing but a few half-built structures and mostly barren earth.

Inoichi didn't say anything but allowed the younger man to get his bearings.

They were noticed by an older man who came hurrying over. "Itachi-san, this is Saihara-san. He is overseeing the construction. Saihara-san, this is Uchiha Itachi-san."

Saihara bowed deeply. "Welcome home, Uchiha-sama." Itachi nodded back. "As you can see Uchiha-sama, work progresses well. I'm afraid the main house won't be ready before your newest children arrive; it still needs several months work."

"I see." Said Itachi. "Will you show me everything?"

Saihara beamed. "Of course! Now as you see here…" Itachi listened as Saihara went over what had been done, what was going to be done and where things were. The man knew his construction, so someone had chosen well. He made a mental note to find out how the man was chosen and who he would have to thank.

Itachi and Inoichi spent close to an hour at the Uchiha compound before they left and went back to the Yamanaka compound.

There he was once again greeted by the children who managed to talk him into going to the training ground and watch their progress. He gave gentle corrections and praise when needed. He allowed Chouko to use her steel shurikan and kunai to her great pleasure. Masanori and Tanpopo worked on their taijutsu. Masanori was deliberate in his movements but was not slow. Tanpopo was quick; she would move in, strike and get out of the way. Itachi figured that she wouldn't become very tall when she was grown and decided to encourage the strike and run method for her. Small people who could slip in and out of a melee, striking the enemy while they were battling a teammate were very valuable.

He felt a new chakra signature and turned around. It was Naruto.

"Uncle Naruto!" The children all stopped and ran to him. Naruto laughed and hugged them all; keeping Chouko from accidently stabbing him with the kunai she forgot she had in her hand.

Naruto stood up and looked at Itachi. His voice was neutral when he spoke. "Welcome home."

"Thank you."

Naruto gave a small smile. "Long journey?"

"Not really."

"You up for a small sparring session? Taijutsu only?"

Itachi only smiled. Naruto grinned and the two men told the children to sit on the edges of the training field. They went to the center and stared at each other for a moment then both moved at the same time.

The children were in absolute awe. They could barely see Itachi and Naruto's hands and feet move but they heard the strikes as they landed and the soft grunts of the two men as they wove their battle.

As they fought the two men talked.

"I'm sorry about Sasuke."

"My foolish little brother made his choices."

"Yeah, he did. But he didn't deserve to die that way."

"I didn't allow him to suffer long. Are you and your other teammates handling what happened well?"

"We're sorry for his death. We wish it didn't happen. We do not grieve for him though. We grieve for the boy that we knew and for the man that he should have become."

"I understand."

"Just so you know. The entire village knows of your sacrifice."

"What?"

"Everyone knows why you killed your clan and why you did what you did afterwards. Tsunade let everyone know and made it clear that you are to be welcomed back with open arms."

"Should you be telling me this?"

"I'm going to be the next Hokage. Besides, I wanted you to have some preparation for tomorrow's meeting with Tsunade."

"Thank you."

Naruto stopped and bowed to Itachi. "Thank you for the exercise."

Itachi bowed back. "We'll have to do it again."

"I hope so!" Naruto grinned. "There aren't many people who can keep up with me. Kakashi can but Sakura gets pissed off at me if Kakashi comes home too bruised to…uh…keep her happy…if you know what I mean!"

Itachi could only chuckle at the younger man's innuendo. Naruto gave him a last grin, waved at the children then disappeared.

Itachi looked at the sun and realized that it was going to be close to dinner time. He gathered up the three children and took them home. They had a quick wash and sat down to dinner. After dinner Itachi helped Chouko with her homework then supervised bath time. He discovered that placing all three children in the tub at the same time was unwise.

After tucking them all into bed and reading a story, he went back to Tsubaki and they talked for a few hours. She told him of how the Konoha shinobi came to bring them to Konoha and of the trip. She told him of Chouko's teachers and what they were saying about her.

Itachi told her a little about his last mission but not much. He also told her what he had learned from Inoichi and Naruto. He told her what he had seen at the Uchiha compound and that he was pleased with what had been done, the progress and how it looked.

When Tsubaki began to yawn uncontrollably, he pulled her to her feet and gently chased her off to bed. He did a quick walkthrough of the house, making sure doors and windows were properly sealed. Then he went to the bedroom that was his and Tsubaki's.

He smiled at the great amount of pillows that Tsubaki had around her. She was propped practically upright. She hadn't used that many pillow during her pregnancy with Chouko and Masanori but since she was carrying twins she probably needed all of them.

He undressed and took a quick shower. Tsubaki watched appreciatively as her husband walked across the room, unmindful of his nudity. She wished that she could take advantage of it but she was just too darned pregnant.

Itachi climbed into bed and kissed her very pregnant belly; whispering something to the children within. Then he slid pillows aside until he was behind Tsubaki. "If you're going to have to sleep upright, you can sleep against me."

"Itachi…"

He silenced her protests with a kiss. "I am a shinobi. And sleeping like this is much easier than trying to sleep in a tree during a hail storm." Tsubaki gave a small laugh then sighed happily as Itachi's hands began to roam…bringing pleasure to his very pregnant wife that she thought she wouldn't get.

Itachi smiled at the soft pleased smile on his sleeping wife's face, he reached over and flicked off the light and joined his wife in gentle slumber.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven – The Meeting**

Itachi woke to find himself in the same upright position he had gone to sleep in with Tsubaki sleeping against him. He smiled as he gently nudged her into wakefulness then with some creative flexibility, mostly on Itachi's part, Tsubaki gave Itachi the same pleasure that he'd given her the night before. Not one to leave things undone, Itachi once again took Tsubaki to paradise.

"You know, you didn't have to do that."

"What sort of husband would I be if I left you unsatisfied?"

"You've 'satisfied' me a lot more than I've 'satisfied' you."

"Hn."

Tsubaki could only laugh at the response that he gave so rarely now. Early in their relationship, she had gotten so frustrated with that sort of response from him that she had daringly grabbed a pillow and beat him with it. The stunned look on his face as she hit him and his hair came out of his ponytail and straggled everywhere made her laugh. After he recovered from his shock from being attacked so, he promised that he would try and improve his responses. Then he pounced and tickled her until her laughter caused her to gasp for breath.

Itachi helped her out of bed and into the shower. As he rinsed her hair, he smoothed it back and began gently kissing her neck and shoulders while fondling her breasts. "Do you know why I will always satisfy you more than you will satisfy me?" He murmured in her ear.

"Why?"

"Happy wife…happy life." He laughed boyishly when she gasped and ineffectually tried to smack his hands.

He got her out of the shower, dried her off then helped her get dressed. The pair went and woke up the children, got them dressed and then to the dining room and eating breakfast.

Itachi discovered that Masanori and Tanpopo went to pre-school three times a week but this wasn't one of those days. He kissed both younger children good-bye, bade them to be good and listen to Tsubaki and that they were to help her out as much as they could.

Then he gathered up Chouko and her backpack and left for school. As promised, Itachi sat Chouko on his shoulder as they made their way through the streets to the academy. Chouko chattered most of the way there, telling him about her teachers and some of the other children at the academy.

"Do you help the others with their training?"

"Yes, Daddy. Some of them didn't like it at first but when the teachers said they could learn from watching me, they got to be okay about it."

"Do you have some good friends there?"

"Hmmm…YES! There is Haruka-chan and Junko-chan. Haruka-chan has a puppy that comes to school with her and Junko-chan has eyes that can see for a long ways away. She says that when she's a big kunoichi she'll be able to see for kilometers and kilometers! Iruka-sensei says that I will have special eyes too. Is that right, Daddy?"

His daughter was friends with an Inuzuka and a Hyuuga. That was good. He didn't know where the two children stood within their respective clans' hierarchy but it was a good thing for Chouko to make friends with other clan children. Alliances were made that way. "Yes, Chouko-chan, you will have special eyes soon. It will be called the Sharingan and I will teach you how to use it when the time comes."

"Okay!" chirped Chouko.

"Are you friends with any boys?"

"NO! Boys are icky!"

Itachi smiled and hoped, like most fathers that she would continue to think that boys were icky for a very long time to come.

They arrived at the school and Itachi ignored the sidelong looks he was receiving by other parents. He lowered Chouko to the ground and handed her the backpack. "I'm glad you took me to school, Daddy!"

He smiled at her. "I'm glad I brought you to school as well. You behave and listen to what your teachers have to say."

"I will." Chouko's ponytail bounced as she vigorously nodded her head.

"Run along and I'll pick up when school is out."

"Okay!" Chouko turned and ran towards the main doors. She spun around once "Bye, Daddy!" Then darted into the Academy.

"She'll be an excellent addition to the shinobi of Konoha." Said a voice from behind.

Itachi turned around and recognized Umino Iruka, the man had been one of the few people that had been friends with Naruto when he was younger. Itachi had even henged himself to look like the man to gain access to Konoha and Naruto when he was with the Akatsuki but the opportunity to take the Konoha _Jinchuuriki had never come about. "My wife and I can only hope."_

_Iruka smiled. "She's far ahead skill-wise compared to the other students but we're using it as an opportunity to teach her patience and leadership…even though she doesn't realize it."_

_Itachi smiled briefly. "I probably taught her too much but she learns quickly."_

_"An Uchiha skill." Replied Iruka. "I know you have a meeting, so I'll let you go. But please make an appointment with me as soon as possible so we can discuss Chouko's academic progress."_

_"I will." Itachi bowed to the other man, who returned it, then Itachi leapt to the rooftops and made his way to the Hokage's tower._

_888888_

_Tsunade leaned back in her chair and stared at the man who sat in the chair on the other side of her desk. The man who had killed his entire family except for his younger brother. The man who had joined an organization that not only committed various crimes for their own reasons, were paid to commit crimes and who actively hunted down Jinchuuriki._

_Both ignored the others that sat or stood around the room._

_"Normally, I would ask 'What should we do with you?' But I've read your reports. And did my own investigating in the Archives." The blond woman sighed and rubbed her forehead. "We've told the village the truth. It rocked everyone, shinobi and civilian, to the core. They thought that the Elders were to be trusted. And to have this news coming after learning about Danzo's crimes and the War…well, the Elders were probably lucky they died already or they would have been torn apart by an angry mob."_

_Itachi merely raised an eyebrow._

_"Annoying habit." Muttered Tsunade. "Regardless of the fact that everyone knows that you were under orders concerning your clan and that you were spying on the Akatsuki for Konoha, we have to do something to punish you."_

_Sakura's "Shishou." was followed by Naruto's "Baa-chan!"_

_"Be quiet, both of you!" she snapped. Tsunade's eyes never left Itachi's. "I had made plans for your pain in the ass brother when we returned him to the village, but since that's not going to happen, I'm going to use a modified version for you._

_"I was going to order your brother to find a suitable woman, get married and have children…you've already taken care of that and are going to be getting two more overly precocious brats before too long. So that's taken care of. If you didn't have a family already, I'd be throwing you in jail for a minimum of 6 months. But you do have a family so you are hereby ordered not to go past the boundaries of Konoha for the next three years. You are also ordered to visit a therapist once a week for the next year. ANBU will also be spending the next three years watching your every move. They will also be watching over your family."_

_"As for keeping you occupied and out of trouble, you will teach the older Academy students once a week in advanced weaponry and tactics. You will also be doing the same for genin once a week as well. The rest of the time you will be doing paperwork for ANBU and the Torture and Interrogation Unit._

_"Speaking of which, when you leave here, you will have an interview with Morino Ibiki and Yamanaka Inoichi. Hopefully, you won't waste their time and will be truthful with them so you'll be on time to pick your daughter up from school. _

"Do you have any questions?"

"No, Hokage-sama."

"Then get out of here. I have things to do. I'm a busy person you know." Tsunade glared at Naruto who started to laugh but choked it off into a snort.

Itachi rose to his feet and bowed deeply to the Hokage then turned and started to walk out of the room.

"Wait, Uchiha."

He turned back to the Hokage who threw something at him. He caught it reflexively. It was an un-marred hitai-ate. "Get that piece of scarred up crap off your forehead and put that on."

Itachi was surprised to find tears welling up in his eyes as he stared at the shiny strip of metal with the unblemished symbol of the Leaf stamped upon it. But he obeyed the Hokage and removed the hitai-ate that he'd worn for so long and replaced it with the new one. As he tucked the old one into a pocket, he felt Ibiki and Inoichi close behind him. "This way, Uchiha-san." Came Ibiki's deep rumble.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight - Babies**

Itachi grabbed the arm of the young student just before he cut off his own foot. The boy had tried to do a twisting backflip while trying to block his classmate's blow. Itachi took the sword from the boy and handed him a wooden practice sword. "Obviously you need more practice on the basics. Go to the sidelines and practice there." He turned to the other child who had shrunk at the coldness in Itachi's voice. "Ikue-san. You did well but the next time one of your classmates wants to try something ridiculous that they saw in a movie you are to quickly move away from them and call for me."

The girl bowed deeply. "I understand, Uchiha-sensei. It will not happen again."

"Good." Itachi looked around. "Go tell Ryotaro-san to take a break and you will take his place and practice with Bin-san."

"Yes, Sensei."

Itachi didn't watch her leave but turned his eyes to the other students, who had slowed down or stopped, when he had prevented Yuda-san from losing a limb. Suddenly there was a great deal of activity. He gave a small smile but didn't say anything as he began to walk around the other students. He stopped here and there making small corrections with hand placement and sword angles. "Remember everyone, you must know the basics without even thinking. The basics must be something that you do unconsciously and without hesitation. Only when you are able to do that then you can learn fancier tricks."

He moved to the sidelines and continued to watch his students. He actually enjoyed teaching. Some of the students would never be true masters of the sword but Bin and Ikue were two of the students that he felt would go far. If they survived their genin and chuunin years, they might possibly become ANBU.

Itachi mulled over what his life had been like for the past few weeks. After the interview with the Hokage, he had the interview with Ibiki and Inoichi. That went for several hours and had been very grueling. Grueling to the point that when he arrived home after picking Chouko up from school he had actually fallen asleep for an hour or so before dinner.

The rebuilding of the Uchiha compound was going smoothly. But the main house still was not going to be finished before Tsubaki had the twins. She was almost due and Sakura was coming to the house daily to check on Tsubaki. He had spoken to the ANBU that were watching over her and told them that they were to be within hearing distance of her at all times.

Itachi looked at the sun and called out "Stop." The students ceased their movements and turned to face him. "Put the weapons away. Neatly. And you may return to your homerooms."

He watched as the students scrambled to put the weapons away and ran back into the Academy. He went and made sure that the weapons were actually stored properly then sat down on a bench and began writing notes about each students' progress.

"Uchiha-san?"

Itachi looked up and saw the ANBU kneeling before him. He froze. He knew, _knew_, what was going to be said next.

"Tsubaki-san has been taken to the hospital. She is in labor."

Itachi set aside his notes. "Will you ask Yamanaka Noriko to pick the children up from school? And ask someone to make sure that these items are returned to the storeroom."

"Of course, Uchiha-san." But those words fell on empty air.

Itachi appeared in the entrance to the hospital. He strode through the doors. He was greeted by a nurse who was talking as she bowed. "Tsubaki-sama is in room 309 on the third floor. Sakura-sensei is already with her."

"Thank you." Itachi didn't wait for the elevator but leapt up the stairs to the third floor. He made his way to the designated room and opened the door. Sakura and Tsubaki looked at him as he entered. The room almost looked like a regular bedroom except for the hospital equipment. Itachi wasn't sure why it looked like this. He didn't remember birthing rooms being this way when Sasuke was born.

Sakura, who had been leaning over examining Tsubaki's swollen belly with glowing hands, straightened. The glow disappeared as she placed her hands on her hips, emphasizing her own gently swelling stomach and glared at him. She pointed to the bathroom. "You are not spreading sweat, stink and whatever else in here. Go shower. There's plenty of time still." Her tone brooked no nonsense.

Itachi ignored her and approached Tsubaki and gently kissed her on the mouth. "Are you doing okay?"

Tsubaki smiled. "I'm fine." She grasped his hand and squeezed as a contraction hit. "I can wait until you are done."

"Very well." Itachi went to the bathroom, shut the door behind him. As he stripped off his clothes he saw that there was a bag sitting in the corner. He opened it and saw that there were clean clothes of his in there along with his favorite toiletries. He showered and shaved quickly. He simply ran a brush through his wet hair and tied it back.

He exited the bathroom just in time to see Tsubaki have another contraction. Sakura nodded at him. "It's time now."

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Naruto looked at the babies cradled in Itachi's arms. The tiny beings wrapped up in the pink and blue blankets were smaller than his own Minato who was born a few months before but they looked healthy. "Congratulations, Itachi." Naruto's normally loud voice was soft so it wouldn't disturb the sleeping babies or their exhausted mother. "What are you going to name them?"

"We've talked about it. Chouko and Masanori were named after her mother and her Grandfather. She insisted that we name these two after members of my family. So they are Shisui and Mikoto."

Naruto smiled. "Those are good names. And I know that your cousin and your mother would be pleased." Naruto, as part of his Hokage training, was reading old files and had read the files of the senior Shisui and Mikoto and regretted that they had died in the way that they had.

"Yes, I think they would be pleased." Said Itachi softly as he gazed at the tiny faces of his newest children.

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Three months later, the Uchiha main house was finally finished. It was time for the Uchiha to leave the Yamanaka compound and start anew in their own.

Chouko and Itachi with Mikoto in a carrier strapped around his body stood at the gates waiting for Tsubaki, who had Shisui in a similar carrier, to finish talking with Noriko. Masanori stood by himself staring at the ground and lightly kicking it.

Itachi was joined by Kakashi and Naruto who invited themselves to accompany the Uchiha to their "new" home.

Naruto stared at the black t-shirt Itachi wore. "D.A.D.D.?"

Itachi smiled and turned around so the other two men could read the back. Kakashi was the one to read it out loud. "Dads Against Daughters Dating. Our Motto: Use a kunai on the first one and the word will spread."

Itachi turned back around and the two men looked at him with identical wicked grins. Presumably identical grins since Kakashi still wore his mask but his words confirmed that assumption. "I want one! Where did you get yours?"

"A little shop in Suna. On Sandstone Street. It's called T-Shirtz and Things."

Naruto laughed. "I'm going there to meet with Gaara next week. I'll get us some!"

"Just to let you know in advance, Sakura-san and Hinata-san are going to hate them."

"I can live with that." Murmured Kakashi.

"Uh oh. Small problem." Said Naruto.

Itachi and Kakashi turned to look in the direction he was pointing. In the shadow of the gates stood Tanpopo. Giant tears were rolling down her cheeks as she gazed at Masanori. Itachi looked at his son and realized that the reason why Masanori was kicking at the dirt was to hide his own tears.

Itachi walked over to Noriko and Tsubaki, motioning for Inoichi to join them and the four adults talked for a moment then nodded to each other. Itachi walked over to where Tanpopo was standing and knelt down on one knee in front of her. "Tanpopo-chan, I have a question for you. Would you like to live with us? In the Uchiha compound?"

Tanpopo's tears stopped as she stared at Itachi then she sniffled. "I would get to live with Masanori-chan? And Chouko-chan?"

"Yes. I've talked with Inoichi-san and Noriko-san and they have said that if you want to live with us, you may."

Tanpopo looked at the leaders of her clan. "Can I? Can I live with Masanori-chan?"

Noriko smiled. "If that is what you want to do, Tanpopo-chan, you may do it."

Tanpopo's smile was almost blinding as she ran to Masanori. The two children hugged each other tightly.

Tsubaki laughed. "I would say that the answer is yes."

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Author's Note: There really is a t-shirt that exists that says D.A.D.D. But the motto in this world is "Shoot the first one and the word will spread."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine – Happy**

Itachi sat next to Tsubaki and watched as their last child graduated from the Academy and became a genin. Silver was threading her hair and she didn't move as fast as she used to. But he was the same perhaps a little more so with what he had been through in his youth. But they were still reasonably slim. Noriko and Sakura had taught Tsubaki some of the exercises kunoichi used to keep in shape. And Itachi still sparred with Kakashi and Naruto when the latter was able to make time from his Hokage duties.

He smiled and applauded as their daughter walked up on stage and accepted her diploma from Naruto. He wished that Chouko was around to see this but she was out on a mission with her ANBU team. He wanted to see his oldest daughter smile and laugh like she had done when she was a child but that didn't happen much. Not since she told them that she was pregnant and that the baby's father was dead.

Chouko never did say who little Genki's father was but the only Konoha shinobi that had died between the time that Itachi guessed Chouko had become pregnant and the time she told them of the pregnancy was an Akimichi clansman. And that suspicion grew after the boy was born and began to grow. Uchiha were usually slim but athletic and wiry people. While Genki was not huge, he was larger than his Uchiha uncles had been at the same age. The suspicion was even further confirmed when he was paid a visit by Akimichi Chouji when the boy was two. The boy hadn't yet developed a kekki genkai but it was early yet.

Masanori and Ami went through school together, became genin together then were on the same team together. Itachi smiled as he remembered Ami telling them when she became a genin that now that she was a grown-up kunoichi, she wasn't going to be known by the childish name of Tanpopo. Fortunately she forgave those family members who forgot and called her by the old name but anyone else would spend the rest of the day clucking like a chicken due to her Yamanaka skills.

Both Masanori and Ami became jounin but just before the ANBU exams, they were on a mission and their team was overwhelmed by enemy shinobi. They managed to get away but in the process, Masanori lost his right leg at the knee. ANBU became out of the question as did continuing on as a shinobi but Masanori didn't allow the loss of his leg to cripple him. He simply entered the Military Police. Ami followed and their pair were quickly working their way up the ranks.

In another five years, it was quite possible that Masanori would be Chief of Police.

Shisui and Mikoto were jounin but on separate teams. Neither had any intention of becoming ANBU. Shisui's goal was to become the Headmaster of the Academy. Mikoto's plans were to be an active jounin for as long as she could but eventually start teaching genin.

Their other children were of various ranks but all were kept busy with their duties. He and Tsubaki decided not to name any of the other children after family members because the names that were left had bad memories associated with them.

Itachi became the Head of ANBU and enjoyed the work even though the hours were long some days. Tsubaki kept herself busy raising the children and with the duties of being the Matriarch of a Clan.

He was glad that Tsubaki came into his life even though he never dreamed that he would meet someone and have children. And he certainly never allowed himself to think that he would have the chance to return to Konoha but he was glad that fate, chance or the Gods allowed those very things to happen.

Uchiha Itachi was very happy with his life.


End file.
